I live in an open, large, loft-like apartment that gets face-meltingly hot in the New England summer. Easily near 100F in the afternoon. AC is impractical for such a big space. I've tried box fans, but I haven't found one that moves enough air to make a difference and even those were as loud as airplanes. An even faster fan sounds like a bad idea, but a much bigger and slower fan might just do the trick. Something like these, but preferably something that doesn't need to be permanently installed? Where does one find an enormous fan?
posted by the jam
on May 20, 2014 -
16 answers

We've just moved into a new place and it's now gotten cold enough to turn on the heat. Two of the radiators are really loud with air escaping, and often have visible steam coming out of the valve on the side. I've never seen radiators do this. Is this normal? Is this safe?
posted by msbrauer
on Oct 31, 2013 -
9 answers

I'm buying a portable air conditioner for our second-floor apartment. All our windows have openings at the bottom that are of the 2 panel slider variety, and no window unit will fit. Since I've never bought such a thing and I'm not very handy, I could use a few tips, especially concerning the feasibility of moving it from room to room every day. [more inside]
posted by Beardman
on Jun 2, 2013 -
18 answers

How can I stop the noise coming from the steam pipe (?) in our bedroom's wall? We just moved into an apartment in a not-so-well maintained 1920s-era building. [more inside]
posted by pantufla
on Jul 13, 2010 -
7 answers

I want to make my apartment more energy efficient. I don't have any control over how much heat I get, so I'm most concerned with a) making sure as little heat is escaping through the windows as possible and b) reducing the amount of electricity I use. [more inside]
posted by ocherdraco
on Feb 3, 2010 -
17 answers

How can I cool off my NY studio apartment this summer? Our building has central air conditioning, and while it's cold enough when I sit right next to the unit, the rest of the apartment gets boiling hot. During today's heat wave, when it was 82 outside, a thermometer sitting on the unit read 70 degrees. On the other side of the room, it was more like 75, and on the other side of of the apartment, almost 80. The building doesn't allow window air conditioners. This is making living here really uncomfortable -- what else can I do to cool this place off? [more inside]
posted by lsemel
on Apr 28, 2009 -
29 answers

[Asking for a friend:] What can I do about the stinky, wasteful oil furnace in my apartment? I'm worried about my health, and I'm not sure that the landlord cares. [more inside]
posted by TurkishGolds
on Dec 22, 2008 -
4 answers

How much does it cost to heat an apartment in Brooklyn? My roommates and I are about to put down a deposit on a 3-bedroom in Greenpoint. The only unknown is that heat isn't included, and we have no idea what that will cost for a winter. Rough estimates and anecdotal evidence appreciated. 1000 a year? 500? 3000? Thanks much.
posted by boots
on Aug 11, 2008 -
11 answers

Apartment filter: I need my apartment to be cool inside! We moved into a very nice 3rd (top) floor, west facing apartment... in March... came home in June and no exaggeration, it was 94 degrees in my living room. The AC has a 20 degree difference and runs nonstop from 4pm to 11pm and its 84 degrees in the bed room till 11pm. [more inside]
posted by phritosan
on Aug 4, 2008 -
38 answers

My landlord in NY claims that our heater must turn on when the temperature drops. If we wanted to prevent this, a technician would have to "turn the valves off" -- a cumbersome process that risks the valves later freezing and "popping" and steam destroying our apartment. True? Is this common? And if so, how can we deal with a too-hot room, other than by opening the window?
posted by shivohum
on Oct 26, 2007 -
30 answers

I'm 18 and I had to move out of my parents house. I'm in an apartment in Jersey City. I don't have cockroaches, there aren't any leaks, its a really great apartment and these are all small things that I've been dealing with the last few months. [more inside]
posted by rubberkey
on Apr 16, 2007 -
20 answers

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